We the north…
Here I come
🙂
— Luis Scola (@LScola4) July 9, 2015
The Toronto Raptors may have just solved their power forward crisis. Per Luis Scola‘s Twitter, he’s headed to the north.
Amidst all of the DeAndre Jordan hoopla, Masai Ujiri swooped in and surprised all of us. Not any indication, or rumours. Just the man himself breaking the news via Twitter.
There isn’t really any news right now, however given that the man is 35, Scola will likely be a back-up PF with Patrick Patterson starting (speculation).
Free agent Luis Scola is finalizing a one-year, nearly $3M deal with the Toronto Raptors, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 9, 2015
Woj then finally confirmed that the deal will be 1 year, 3 million. That is some very solid value, and Scola will likely act as a stopgap option until the Raptors find a permanent solution next offseason.
Scola is a very smart player, who has had some fantastic seasons. But he will be the first to admit that he is past his prime, and is now diminished to more of a solid role player as opposed to a starter. This could very well be his final year in the league.
Last year he averaged 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds in approximately 20 minutes off the bench for the Pacers. His best seasons were back in Houston, where he was teammates with Kyle Lowry. He averaged 18-8 one year.
Raptors fans should tamper expectations. Scola will likely contribute a solid 15-20 minutes, and provide similar numbers to what he gave Indy last season. He’s a smart player, strong interior defender, decent mid-range shooter, and a menace in the paint offensively with a wide arsenal of offensive moves that he can definitely teach JV.
Overall, this has to be considered a great value pick-up, and a strong finish in what will likely be the end of Masai’s roster tweak.
